Article of furniture



Oct. 20, 1953 K. M. JACOBS 2,655,983

ARTIC LE OF FURNITURE 7 Filed Aug. 24, 1950 7' A l2 l0 24 /4\ 20 I6 g I I A K, 28a 3 5 2a 38 Inventor H II II 32 Karl M. Jacobs and awayfimg Patented Oct. 20, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Karl M. Jacobs, Fowler, Ind.

Application August 24, 1950, Serial No. 181,236

a Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in articles of furniture and the primary object of the present invention is to provide a table structure slidably supporting a pair of end seat structures and a pair of side seat structures.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide an article of the aforementioned character wherein the side seat structures include horizontal panels that are located in a plane above the horizontal panels of the end seat structures so as to permit the ends of side panels to overlie the ends of the end panels and thereby reduce to a minimum the area required for the article when the seat structures are positioned beneath the table structure.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an article of furniture involving a combined guide and strengthening channel that slid ably supports horizontal arms mounted on side and end seat structures.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide an article of furniture that is simple and practical in construction, strong and reliable in use, neat and attractive in appearance, inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the present invention and with parts broken away for the convenience of explanation and showing one of the end seat structures extended from the table structure;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the invention and showing one of the end seat structures and one of the side seat structures extended from the table structure; and

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein, for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral It] represents a table structure including a substantially rectangular top l2 and end members l4 that support the top [2 in a horizontal position. The end members ii are disposed adjacent the ends of the top and transversely of the top 12 for a purpose later to be more fully described.

The end members It are joined by a combined strengthening and guide channel to whose ends are suitably secured to the end members. The ends of the channel i6 register with vertical openings is in the end members. The channel It is formed with a transverse opening 26 medial its ends.

A pair of end seat structures 22 are associated with the table structure It. Each of the end seat structures 22 includes a substantially reotangular seat panel 24 and legs 28 that support the seat panel. A horizontal arm or beam 23 is fixed to each of the seat structures 22. The arms 23 are disposed beneath the seat panels 24 and extend laterally from the seat panels 24, through the openings 18 and into the ends of the channel It.

The ends of the arms 23 remote from the seat panels 26 support stop plates 3t that will engage the inner faces of the end members is to limit outward sliding movement of the end seat structures from the table structure.

A pair of side seat structures 32 are also associated with the table structure. Each of the seat structures 32 includes an elongated substantially rectangular seat panel is and legs 36 supporting the panel 34. A horizontal arm 35 is secured to each of the side seat structures 32. The arms 38 are located medially the ends of the panels 3i and project laterally from the panels as and into the opening 20.

The arms 38 are disposed in side-by-side relationship and the arms 28 are disposed in alignment, as shown in Figure 3. The panels are of a length substantially equal to the length of the table top l2 and the panels E i are of a length substantially equal to the width of the table top l2. Furthermore, the side panels 3% lie in a horizontal plane above a horizontal plane through the seat panels 24 so that when all of the seat structures are disposed beneath the table top I2, the ends of the side panels 36 will overlie the ends of the end panels 24.

The ends of the arms as remote from the seat panels 34 support stop plates Ml that will engage the channel It to limit outward sliding movement of the arms and hence outward movement of the side seat structures.

The legs 26, 36 of the seat structures may be of any suitable shape and it is preferred that the legs 26, 36 be shaped to conform to the shape of the table legs or end members i l. The entire article, including the table structure and seat structures, may be constructed of any suitable material, such as metal, wood, or the like.

One of the outstanding features of the invention resides in the manner in which the seat structures are located to reduce the floor area required for the article. Also, the seat panels may be accessible from either end thereof with the arms 28 and 38 so positioned as to avoid accidental engagement thereof by users.

Although the drawings specifically illustrate the ends of the side panels 35 adapted to overlie the ends of the end panels 2%, this arrangement may be altered so that the ends of the end panels will overlie the ends of the side panels. This construction will elevate the end panels to permit their use by children. Furthermore, the panels 24 and 35 need not be rectangular in shape and it is anticipated that the side and end'panels will be oval or arcuate shape, and the table top [2 may be other than rectangular, for example, round or square.

It should be noted that a pair of reinforcing and strengthening beams 280: are mounted Within the channel 16 with the inner adjacent ends of these beams spaced'apart sufiiciently to accommodate the arms 33.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. An article of furniture comprising an elongated table top, a pair of end members supporting the table top, a combined guide and strenthening channel joining said end members, a pair of end seats including supporting legs, a pair of longitudinal-arms secured to said end seats and slidably received in the ends of said channel, said channel having spaced side walls with registering openings intermediate their ends, a pair of side seats including supporting legs, and transverse arms mounted on said side seats and disposed in side by side contacting relation, said transverse arms being slidably received in said openin s.

2. An article of furniture comprising an elongated table top, a pair of end members supporting the table top, a combined guide and strengthening channel joining said end members, a pair of end seats including flat horizontal seat portions and supporting legs, a pair of longitudinal arms secured to said end seats and slidably received in the ends of said channel, said channel having a transverse opening intermediate its ends and extending throughout the width of the channel, a pair of side seats including fiat horizontal seat portions and supporting legs, and transverse arms mounted on said side seats and slidably received in said opening, the bottom faces of each of the seat portions of the end seats being disposed in a horizontal plane above the horizontal plane in which the top surfaces of the seat portions of the side seats lie to permit the ends of the seat portions of said side seats to overlie the ends of the seat portions of said end seats when all seats are disposed directly beneath the table top.

3. An article of furniture comprising an elongated substantially rectangular table top, a pair of end members supporting the table top in a substantially horizontal position, an elongated guide and strengthening channel terminally fixed to said end members, said end members each having an opening in register with said channel, a pair of substantially rectangular and horizontal end panels of a length equal to the width of said table top, legs supporting the end panels, a horizontal arm secured to each end panel, said arms being slidably received in said openings and in said channel, a pair of substantially rectangular and horizontal side panels of a length equal to the length of said table top, additional legs supporting the side panels, said channel having spaced side walls with registering transverse openings medially their ends, and additional horizontal arms secured to said side panels slidably received in said transverse openings, said side panels having top surfaces lying in a horizontal plane below a horizontal plane through the bottom faces of said end panels to permit the ends of the side panels to underlie the ends of the end panels when all panels are disposed directly beneath the table top.

4. An article of furniture comprising a table structure including an elongated top, end seats and side seats slidably carried by the table structure and movable beneath the top, each of said seats including an elongated horizontal panel, the panel of the end seats extending throughout the width of the table top, the panels of the side seats extending throughout the length of the table top and having top surfaces located in a horizontal plane below the horizontal plane in which the bottom surfaces of the end seats lie, whereby the ends .of the end panels will overlie the ends of the side panels when all seats are moved beneath the table top.

KARL M. JACOBS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,417,655 Zielinski May 30, 1922 1,784,726 I-Iallowell Dec. 9, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 203,654 Germany Oct. 29, 1908 

